


Meet Me By The Ocean

by Erikapell



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-19
Updated: 2018-02-19
Packaged: 2019-03-21 02:42:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 16,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13731429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Erikapell/pseuds/Erikapell
Summary: Running away had always been the plan.Running away at 6 weeks pregnant, 20 years old and completely and utterly on her own had most definitely not been the plan.





	1. Chapter 1

Running away had always been the plan. 

Running away at 6 weeks pregnant, 20 years old and completely and utterly on her own had most definitely not been the plan. 

Betty Cooper was smart, intuitive and desperate to find her own freedom, to get Away from her overbearing mother and absent father, away from the town that seemed intent on burying her deep in its roots, bringing her down like it had so many other hopeful women, her mother and sister included. She had plans, college, a job in the city, a new life, a better life. She wanted to be happy, to find and follow her own path, create her own future. 

But then she found him. 

She supposed he had been there all along, hidden on the sidelines supporting her, protecting her, accepting her. 

And so Betty Cooper fell in love with Jughead Jones so fast and immediate that it seemed she couldn’t be without him, couldn’t breathe without her heart. He was everything to her just as she was everything to him. 

So college could wait, Jughead was stuck to the serpents, an invisible tie trapping him in the small town, she wouldn’t leave him, not now and not ever. He promised her “only one more year, only until I can find a way out, I will get us out of here.” 

She had believed him, she loved him so much she would have believed anything, but a year passed and she was still here, the carefully planned out future she had worked so hard to make possible moving farther and farther away with each argument and gang fight. 

Her mother was angry, so incredibly angry it was almost impossible for Betty to stay in her home, the constant dissapointment taking its toll. 

“I told you this would happen, I told you he would do nothing but drag you down. He’s a snake Elizabeth, a sorry excuse for a man.” Her mother would hiss. 

She was wrong, Alice Cooper was wrong, Jughead would get out, he would get out and he would take them far far away...to New York City, there dreams would come true and they would finally be so unapologetically happy and successful that everyone would have no choice but to eat their words and take back the knowing looks filled with malice. 

But then he disappeared. He never took her to New York, never picked her up on his motorcycle with just a backpack and a plan. 

He left. 

He left her. 

Alone.

 

It was a Saturday night when she found out, after an exceptionally long shift at Pops she had driven to his trailer, a take out bag of food and his favorite Spielberg dvd in her hand. She twisted the lock, tired eyes and sleepy smile ready to greet her boyfriend, instead she found an empty trailer.

Abandoned. 

Two vanilla milkshakes spilling on the bare rug of the silent trailer. There was a note taped to the refrigerator door. 

“I’m sorry.” 

His bike was gone and the heavy leather jacket was the only thing left in the entire trailer. 

He was gone. 

Two days and two faint pink lines later 

She was pregnant.

That same day she ran, the keys to Veronica’s abandoned family beach house in Cape Cod clutched firmly in her hand and nothing but four dresses and a worn in dark red flannel in her backpack. There was no reason to stay, her mother would kill her and the Serpents would find her, there misguided sense of loyalty would ensure that her and her baby never left riverdale. They would be stuck. 

The bus ride had been long, it took nearly three days to arrive at the gorgeous home, it was a little run down but all it needed was some TLC, from one broken heart to a broken home. It’ was a light yellow Cape, two stories with soft white shutters and a wrap around porch, it looked right out into the ocean and she could almost see the handmade wind chimes hanging off the railing, could almost hear her little baby playing in the sand. Her baby would have a home, a real home with a mother that loved it no matter what. She would be there for her baby, forever and absolutely always.

That had been four months ago, at five months pregnant she was moving a little slower and while her heart was still just as heavy as it had been there was purpose in her life, a tiny heartbeat and dancing feet kicking inside of her tummy. 

Betty was a waitress at a tiny little seaside restaurant just a mile from her home, MaryLous. The owner was an elderly women who absolutely adored the pregnant blonde, she had given her the job the instant she stepped through the doors. she was kind and understanding, supportive and warm, she was the kind of mother Betty had always prayed for, the kind of mother she hoped she would be. She did fairly well at work, the tiny little shorts showed off her long tan legs and from the back she could almost hear the wolf whistles start, that is until of course she turned around, hands pressed to her swollen tummy. 

Veronica called every other night, she assured her that the vacation home was hers forever if she wanted it. The lodges didn’t do beaches anymore but they also didn’t sell there property it was a pride thing, Veronica promised to visit as soon as she was on break from IONA university in New York, the raven haired beauty was destined to be one of the worlds best fashion designers and Betty couldn’t wait to see it happen. 

As for Betty? Well.. not having to pay for her home left her with a bit of extra money and a little extra time, but hospital bills were expensive and she seemed to grow out of her clothes every week. But she was writing, a novel... a story for her unborn child. 

The world was beautiful, so forgiving and relenting, there was another life inside of her someone who would love her unconditionally no matter what, someone who would never leave her.  
And she was happy, happy to have this baby, perhaps it wasn’t in her plans but it was okay, things change sometimes for the better. But still...

She cried. 

She cried for the boy she had loved and would always love, worry flooding her thoughts nearly everyday. She cried for a little dark haired baby with its fathers nose and freckles, she cried because she loved him but she also cried because she couldn’t hate him at all. 

Betty had accepted the fact that she would never see him again, he wouldn’t be looking for her and even if he was he would never find her. She was hidden away and he was... well... 

He was sorry. 

The note he had left lay crumpled in her bedside table, she would pull it out every night and trace the letters with her fingers, tearstains and ink smudges covering the paper. 

It was all she had left of him, all she ever would. 

Until one night a knock on her door had her padding down her hallway, long honey blonde braid reaching the small of her back, it was probably her neighbors, they lived a good distance away but they were her friends, two boys who reminded her of the boys Jughead would hang out with back home, Sweetpea and Fangs, tough looking boys with similar pasts as her baby’s father. they always stopped by at the oddest hours to make sure she hadn’t gone into labor. 

With a sleepy smile Betty pulled open her front door 

“Boys I’m fine....” the words fell from her lips when she saw who was standing in front of her. 

He was a mess of dark black waves and a bruised cheek, his flannel ripped and a motorcycle helmet clutched in his hands. 

“Hey there Juliet.” He whispered.


	2. Chapter 2

Life is full of choices, some simple and straightforward, uncomplicated and painless.  
What to eat for breakfast, which color to paint the kitchen, how many sugars to take in your coffee. Some choices are made to be basic, undemanding and plain. 

But some choices are difficult and exhausting, some choices keep you awake at night, stop your heart and scare you to death. Life isn’t fair, choices aren’t fair and the absolute hardest choice any human being has to make? 

Confronting their past. 

You have two options in life when it comes to your past; embrace it with open arms, hold onto what is left and carry that weight with you forever heavy on your shoulders, or... lock it away and try desperately to let go of the bad and only hold the good, forget the pain and the memories and move on, shut the door to the past. 

Or you can take that door and slam it directly into the face of your past... both metaphorically and physically. 

And that’s exactly what Betty cooper did.

Her entire body shook as she slammed the front door closed , his face quickly dissapearing behind the heavy panels of the wooden front door. 

This wasn’t real, a nightmare, a vividly detailed dream sent to scare her, to bring her back to reality. She had been thinking of him too often, dreaming of his face and imagining his hands. It wasn’t real, a cruel trick designed to challenge her, it was a nightmare, she would wake up soon safe in her cotton sheets upstairs, her baby sleeping in her tummy peacefully. 

“Betts.... please.... I just want to talk.. please let me explain.” 

He sounded so real, so raw and so.. so much like Jughead, so much like her Jughead. Tears began to fall, raindrops pouring onto her plain white T-shirt, sobs breaking free from her lips as she clamped a hand over her mouth, if he was here, if he was standing outside of her home with his broken blue eyes and cracked hands then she couldn’t let him see her cry, couldn’t let him see her damaged. 

It was silent for a moment neither of the two daring to make a sound, she was afraid to move her hands falling to her swollen tummy. And then, Finally... she felt it... the one thing that had kept her going, had made her strong and independent. 

A tiny kick to her open palm, the faint imprint of five tiny toes against the skin of her belly pressing into her hand. It was a constant reminder that she wasn’t alone, that while yes he had left her, she was never truly alone, there was someone by her side always, someone made to be on her team. Her fingers folded around the brass doorknob, shoulders back and head high, eyes straight ahead like a souldier, if this was war she was going in ready to battle. 

The door moved open almost painfully slow, the figure she had thought was make believe staring directly at her, his feet shifting anxiously on her newly painted front porch (thanks Sweet pea). He was a mess, bags under his eyes dark enough to match his far too long tar black waves, yellow and purple bruises littering his cheek and jawline, his hands were shaking more than her own and his flannel was ripped, she vaguely registered the fact that he wasn’t wearing a jacket and the parts of her that still loved him felt angry that he’d probably be coming down with a cold in just a few days. The absolute worst part?

The guilt she felt radiating off of him was so strong it nearly turned her stomach. He hadn’t noticed yet, his eyes too busy burning into hers but that soon ended when they slowly made their way down her body stopping abruptly on her ever growing stomach barely concealed by the plain white T-shirt that was now riding up slightly on her bump showing off just a sliver of tanned skin. 

He didn’t know. Of course he didn’t, sometimes it was easy to forget that he hadn’t been around when she found out she was pregnant, it was so easy to blame him for everything, he had abandoned both of them but he hadn’t known about peanut, he never got the chance. The anger filled her once again, not unfamiliar but finally finding its place to be directed at. Her hands found their place on top of her stomach, protectively covering her little warrior. 

“Why are you here?” 

His eyes snapped forward and his hands buried deep in his pockets, no doubt looking for his cigarettes, a nervous tick he had acquired their senior year of High school. 

“I’m... I’m here for you... Betty I’m here for you.. I found you.. I..” 

It was a bitter laugh that fell from her lips and cut him off, so different from the way he used to make her laugh, carefree and light, this one was darker, jaded. 

“Who says I wanted you to find me. I’m doing fine on my own Forsythe, I don’t need you showing up at my home like some knight in shining armor on your stupid motorcycle.” 

He flinched when she called him by his first name almost as if she had slapped him. He was trying desperately to look her in the eyes but his gaze kept falling to her stomach, something so foreign in his stare that she couldn’t help but squirm.

“You’re pregnant, you.. you’re pregnant.” A whisper, so quiet it almost washed away with the waves. 

“I am.” It was a simple answer, the truth. That’s all she wanted. 

He looked up again, this time an unquestionable amount of determination in his eyes. 

“I had to leave.. I had to go, I’ll explain it all to you... everything.. I promise I will.” He was begging her, he looked so strange on her front porch, her new life, a life she had worked hard for, a life she had made her own meshing with the one piece of her old life that she had wanted so desperately to save, to keep with her forever. 

But now? After everything? 

Betty sighed, the baby had stopped kicking, no doubt sleeping just like its mother should be, the fight left her body as she slumped against the door frame. 

“Tommorow, you can tell me tommorow. I’m tired Jughead. I need to sleep, I work the lunch shift tommorow. You can crash on my couch. There’s pillows and blankets in the hall closet.” She stepped aside, he was tired too she could tell by the way he tugged on the stray piece of hair dangling in his eyes, his beanie was gone and she could smell hotel shampoo when he walked past her into her living room. Sure, she had nightmares to tell but perhaps... maybe he did too. 

She was halfway up the stairs when he called for her.

“Betts?” 

She turned slowly, one hand on the railing and one hand on her belly. He stood in front of her couch staring up at her.

“I was always going to come back for you, no matter what I was always going to come back.” 

Betty stared softly for a moment before turning her back to him and squeezing her eyes shut.

“I got tired of waiting Jug. I got tired.”


	3. Chapter 3

It was the sunshine that woke her up every morning, warm honey rays filtering through the open window by her bed, the salty air tickling her nose and her little peanut doing somersaults in her tummy, clearly ready to start the day. 

This morning was no different, her bare feet felt cool on the aged hardwood as she made her way towards the bathroom careful not to make too much noise, the living room was right below her bedroom and the last thing she wanted to do was wake up the visitor currently sleeping on her couch. The conversation was inevitable, there would be raised voices and hurtful words, long held in pain and blame exposed for all to see. 

It was terrifying. For so long she had held tight to every emotion and feeling that had threatened to break down the walls she had carefully built up for hers and her unborn child’s protection. There was no time to be weak and selfish, no time to be wrapped up in herself, life had been moving so quickly that she had no other option but to hang on and fight, to prove that she was okay, that they would be okay. It was the only option she had and leaving the past behind had been such a simple choice to make, the right choice, the only choice.

But now? 

Her past was currently sleeping on her couch covered in bruises and promises, feelings she had buried somewhere deep inside of herself were slowly rising to the surface like seaglass at high tide.

With her hands braced on either side of the bathroom sink, Betty took a steadying breath, long golden blonde hair falling over her cheeks like a silk curtain. She was scared, terrified even but she had to do this, had to face him head on if not for herself for the baby sleeping soundly in her stomach. Her child deserved the world, anything she could give this baby it would get, no matter how much it hurt. 

She left her hair down, it was longer now, loose and soft, so different from the painfully tight ponytail she had worn everyday of her life, her skin was reaping the benefits of living on the beach as well. clear and sunkissed and her shiny green eyes were left makeup free. Putting on her lightest, flowiest floral sundress, tiny baby blue and yellow flowers adorning the soft cotton material, Betty stared in the mirror by her bed. She looked good, tired and five months pregnant but good. 

She looked ready for a long morning. 

Taking the stairs one at a time purposefully slow the beautiful blonde held her breath as she approached the back of the couch, she knew Jughead liked to sleep in. Fully prepared to see his mess of shiny black waves, she peered over the couch. 

He wasn’t there. He was gone.

Maybe it had been a dream, wishful thinking. He hadn’t come back, she had been so foolish to believe that he would come back for her. 

Then she saw it. 

A flash of dark grey flannel moving to rest on the porch swing Fangs had built for her the first month she moved in. So intricately detailed and beautiful, everytime she closed her eyes and listened to the crashing of the waves on the shore while Sweetpea and Fangs tossed a basketball in the hand she pictured Jughead beside her, fingers in her hair and a goofy smile on his face. 

And now he was here, melting into the very place she had pictured him. He looked absolutely terrified from her place leaning against the doorframe, his fingers tapping on his jean clad knees and his back stiff on the white wooden swing. He looked scared and nervous but... he somehow looked like he belonged, his rough and tumble look fell into place with her worn in porch covered in flowers and vines. It seemed as if he had been born to be right here, right at this very spot. 

“It’s beautiful isn’t it?” Betty kept her voice low, almost a whisper as if not to frighten him. 

It didn’t work he jumped anyway, scrambling to his feet, the floral pillow on his lap fell to the floor. 

“I didn’t hear you, I was waiting up. I uh.. I was...” the stuttery way he shifted closer towards her was so similar to the way he had kissed her that September night in her bedroom, shaky hands holding her face, swallowing thickly. 

Betty made her way over to the porch swing, her steps a little slower and her hands holding her belly as she dropped down slowly, a huff of satisfaction leaving her lips. Jughead was watching her intently, observing, drinking it in. 

“You don’t see sunrises like that in Riverdale.” She whispered, shifting a little when Jughead took the open space beside her.

He chuckled nervously  
“Last time I saw something that Pretty was Fourth of July senior year, when we woke up at the crack of dawn to watch the sunrise over SweetWater River. You made hot chocolate and Archie spilled it all over Veronica’s favorite picnic blanket.” 

The smile that brushed across her lips was entirely involuntary. 

“After Veronica stormed off and Archie followed behind we took your bike to Pops, we were the only two people in the entire Diner. You had a burger for breakfast, I thought you were crazy.” 

“I was. I think I was.” He whispered. 

It was silent for a moment, not quite uncomfortable just a pause, a moment to think, a moment to just be here, to just be with each other even if only for a second. 

“I’m sorry Betty. God you have no idea, I am so sorry. So god damn sorry.” His voice sounded foreign, she had seen him cry before, but this was different. He was angry, not at her but at himself, he was angry and sad and guilty, so many terrible things to feel at once. 

Her throat felt dry, sandpapery and rough, her voice came out more of a rasp 

“You broke my heart. You broke me.. you... Jughead Jones you broke my heart.”

The way he flinched, his whole body collapsing as tears whipped down his cheeks, it physically made her chest ache to watch. 

“I know. I know I did and I will never forgive myself for that, for what I did. I was trying to protect you, I thought... I thought we would be okay. I never wanted to leave but I couldn’t get out, I was holding you back and there was no way for me to get out. The Serpents had me there for life. There was no damn way out, I... had no choice..” his body turned towards her, he wasn’t touching her, she wasn’t sure if she wanted him to or not. 

“You didn’t tell me. I stayed for you, I put aside everything for you. I would have supported you, I would have done anything for you. I did do anything for you. You left Jughead, you. not me.”  
She wasn’t trying to hurt him, it killed her to see him in so much pain but she had to look out for herself, for her baby. 

“I know that. I think about that everyday. I ran it through my head everyday before I left. I wanted to tell you, but I couldn’t. If the Serpents thought for even one second that you knew where I was... I don’t even want to think about that.. and now.. with the.. with...” he trailed off, his eyes falling onto her bump, his fingers twitching and digging into the sides of the swing. 

Betty sighed, her eyes closing for a moment   
“I can handle it. I told you.. I can handle it. I don’t need you to protect me. It wasn’t your choice Jughead.” 

In a moment of confidence his hand covered hers.   
“I know. I know you can. But... I have too. I have to protect you Betty, you’re all I have, that’s how it’s always been. I wasn’t lying when I said I was going to come back, it wasn’t even a thought in my mind. I didn’t abandon you I could never.. I just.. i was just gone for a little.. just a little, that was always the plan.” 

Betty shifted towards him   
“And while you were gone? What was I supposed to do while you were gone? Just wait for you, just hope and pray that you came back? I’m pregnant Jughead. My mother sent my sister away when she got pregnant, you left me alone in the one place I never wanted to be.” 

He stood up, pacing back and forth. 

“I know. I’m going to be paying for this for the rest of my life. Betty...” he knelt down before her. “Betts, I am so sorry, about everything, there’s so much you don’t understand, so much I cant tell you no matter how badly I want too. But I’m here. I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere. I know you don’t trust me and you may never again and I have to live with that but I need you to know.. I need you to understand.. I never stopped loving you. I am going to love you for the rest of my life, I am going to love you and this baby with everything I have. I’m not.. I don’t know what kind of father I’m going to be, but I know that you’re going to be the absolute best mother In the world and his baby is so lucky to have you and... and if you’ll give me a chance I’d like to be there for it.. I’m not running. I’m staying for as long as you’ll have me.” 

Betty looked down at his ocean blue eyes, they were so similar to the dark aqua that she stared at through her window every night. She couldn’t forgive him, not now, not yet. But right now? In this moment, with their baby moving inside of her tummy, she could let her walls down, let him in again. 

For now.

Right now. 

Betty pressed his open palm on top of her stomach, smiling slightly at the way his eyes widened, his eyes dropping to his flexing hand on her stomach, he was in awe. 

He moved closer, his nose almost touching the protruding bump. 

And then the peanut kicked. 

Jugheads eyes flung towards her, a smile gracing his features. 

“Betts...” he whispered. 

Her body melted under his touch 

“Juggie...” she answered. 

“WHAT THE HELL IS HE DOING HERE.” 

Jughead flung back, falling flat on his butt as Veronica Lodge stared up at him, Manolo blancs buried in the sand, Archie filling close behind carrying both bags. 

Betty smiled 

“Ronnie.”


	4. Chapter 4

Can you love too much? Is it possible to Be filled with the very definition of raw and unfiltered love coursing through your very soul that it becomes too much, too excessive, inordinate? Can you love someone you’ve never met? Feel that absolute tie, a connection and bond that makes it feel almost impossible to be without them? 

Is it possible to depend on a love you can’t even see, only feel? Feel so deeply in every single part of your body that the support and hope it provides seems to be the only thing keeping you afloat, without it you become... unmoored. 

The answer is yes, an unmistakable, resounding yes. At least that’s what Betty Cooper thinks, the baby in her belly is the only proof she needs and in moments of stress and fear it seems that that proof? That tiny little heartbeat and ten little toes kicking her tummy? That truthfully is the only thing that matters. 

“I can’t even believe the nerve of you! You... you... you jack ass! To think you can just waltz back into her life! I don’t care about whatever excuse you think is reasonable enough for you to even be breathing the same air as Betty, you don’t have any rights to anything, that baby in her belly? I don’t even want to think about what rights your twisted mind thinks you have to it. You left! You left Her! After everything she did for you!” Veronica’s voice carried across the beach, the sun was rolling across the waves and the water was so clear Betty could almost see the seashells covering the bottom of the ocean from her space on the porch, Archie was standing beside her, a hand on her shoulder as if to keep her from floating away, his body in front of her slightly protecting her tummy from Veronica’s flailing hands. 

“You think I don’t know that?! You think I don’t live with what I did everyday? You weren’t there Veronica, you have every right to hate me Veronica, I get it. I hate me too but you weren’t there, you didn’t go through what me and Betty did.you can hate me as much as you want but That baby is mine too, it’s ours!” Jugheads hand shoved into his pocket, pulling a cigarette from his jeans and practically slamming it into his mouth, betty vaguely registered the fact that he didn’t light it. 

The laugh that fell from Veronica’s lips was sharp and her snort had both Archie and Betty wincing  
“Yours? Your baby? Where were you when your baby was causing Betty to lose weight faster than I’ve ever seen, the morning sickness had her locked in the bathroom for two weeks straight. Or how about when she had to spend a week at the hospital because she passed out at work? dehydration? Her first doctors appt? Hearing the babies heartbeat for the first time? Where were you Jughead? Explain to me how this baby is yours? Betty went through all of that on her own! Just her and her baby.” 

Jugheads shoulders slumped dangerously low, his head turning to look at her, eyes flicking from her face to her stomach, wide and terrified. Betty rested an open palm on her stomach as she tore her gaze from his. 

“I... I didn’t know.. I wasn’t here.. I wasn’t..” 

Betty shook her head, tears lining the corners of her eyes  
“Ronnie...” 

“No! No Betty, you can’t just forgive him! You can’t just let him come back and act like everything’s okay. You can’t! Don’t you remember how depressed you were, how you couldn’t even get out bed.” Veronica hissed. 

Jughead took a step away  
“I didn’t know.” He whispered only for Betty to hear “ I didn’t know Betty, I’m so sorry. I can’t... I want too...” He ripped the cigarette from his mouth, guilt radiating from his pores. 

It was in that moment that she realized she was so tired of hearing him apologize, she was so tired of “sorrys” so tired of the hurt, hers and his. 

“Oh please! You’re so..” Veronica started 

“ENOUGH” the blonde cut her off, her voice raised and tired.

Veronica stiffened, her body turning to face her best friend  
“B...” 

Betty shook her head  
“Veronica I love you. Everything you’ve done for me, the way you’ve been there for me i can never repay you for that, But Jughead is right, you weren’t there for some pretty big stuff, you’re my best friend but Jughead is... well Jughead is this baby’s father, he’s...” her eyes fell to Jughead, he was burning holes into her gaze. Betty smiled softly, hesitant “Jughead is just... he’s here right now and I think... I think maybe I need him too. We both do.” 

The way the dark haired boys entire body seemed to collapse on itself, The faintest hint of relief brushing across his features, it warmed Betty’s heart. 

Veronica crossed her arms and stared at a streak of paint on the window, her lips pursed and her eyebrows furrowed. Betty knew Veronica, she needed to process everything but she would come around, she knew that much, they loved each other those two girls and all they wanted was for the other to be happy, no matter what the other chose to do.

“Well okay!” Archie clapped his hands, shrugging the two bags up on his shoulders “we are going to go get settled in the guest room next to the nursery! We’ll see you guys in a bit!” Archie’s hand grabbed onto Veronica’s, tugging her inside and winking at Betty over his shoulder, nudging his head towards Jughead who was currently standing on the edge of the porch staring out at the ocean.

As soon as the click of the screen door reached her ears, the pregnant blonde made her way over to the boy on the porch.  
“Wanna go for a walk?” She whispered, her voice barely a whisper.

Jugheads head snapped towards her, they were red rimmed and riddled with anxiety but still.. he didn’t hesitate to nod quickly, his hand hovering above hers, purely out of instinct an almost involuntary action.

Betty tried desperately to hide the smile that threatened to tilt her lips, she had missed him, everything about him from the freckles dusting his nose to the way he pulled his socks up and over his boots but under his jeans. His hands were the same if not a little more ....worn, she wanted to hold them, feel her fingers in between his.

So she did. 

If she had been listening she would have heard him gasp, would have felt the gust of air leave his lips. She hadn’t been lying when she told Veronica she needed him, she did, more than she had thought possible. It had been a long road of independence, fighting to make it on her own and she was succeeding, she was making it work but... 

But was she really living? 

The sand felt like velvet under her bare feet, her toes burying into the smooth surface as they made there way across the empty beach. There was a shifting in her stomach, their baby loved the beach, the noise of the seagulls and the feel of the misty wind on her skin. Betty moved Jugheads hand to her stomach, his feet coming to a stop and his boots crunching the seashells. He was staring in awe at the tiny kick that stretched her skin. 

Betty giggled at his expression  
“Peanut loves the beach and the sunshine.” She explained. 

“Peanut?” He raised an eyebrow, a curious smile on his tired face. 

“Yep, I’ve been calling the baby that for as long as I can remember. I... I don’t want to know what it’s going to be. I want to be surprised. It doesn’t matter much to me as long as it’s healthy.” 

Jughead slid his hand from her stomach slowly, grabbing her hand quickly almost as if he afraid she would run away. They started down the beach again, letting the waves crash over his worn in boots and her bare feet.

“It’ll have your eyes.” He broke the silence. 

Betty smiled  
“It’ll have your hair.” 

Jughead chuckled slightly  
“God help him or her. Let’s just hope it has your nose.” He turned to stand in front of her.

She scrunched her nose  
“And your lips.” Her fingers gently pressed against his soft pink lips. 

His eyes fluttered closed  
“Your skin.” He ran his hands over her bare arms. 

Betty pressed closer to him, his grip moving to her waist and pulling her closer.  
“I hope the baby has your brain.” She confessed.

His eyes snapped open  
“No way, it’ll have your brain without a doubt, Your compassion and your heart.” Rain storm blue met meadow green. 

The beautiful blonde tilted her head, their breath just inches away  
“Your loyalty, your ability to be good and to love.” 

His fingers dug into the fabric of Betty’s cotton dress, his breathing rapid.

“I love you betty cooper. I love you more than anything in this world. You are everything. I love you, god I love you.” He whispered, wind whipping through her blonde curls and mist settling on his flannel, his lips came close to touching hers before...

“Hey Cooper! What’s up?” 

Betty jumped back.

“Sweetpea, Fangs.” She whispered, stepping away from Jughead and heading towards the two boys casting an apologetic yet teasing glance Over her shoulder. 

“Well come on, come meet my friends.”


	5. Chapter 5

Life can be exceptionally scary, fairly close to daunting, and absolutely, without a doubt terrifying. 

Some days it can feel as though the world is dropping from below your feet and plummeting further and further away until you’re left staring at an empty space and wondering where it had all gone wrong, when it had all gone wrong. Some days you lose track of time, go through motions that don’t seem to make sense any more and continue living a life that just seems too damn bleak to bother with, other days you feel nothing, a kind of quiet suffering that hurts more than any physical pain ever could. 

But still...

The world keeps turning and life goes on, clouds shift and the rain pours, skies break and oceans crash, you survive.. you let go, most importantly you live to fight. 

Jughead Jones knows that all too well, it happened to be the only thing that had kept him going the last five months of his life. 

Leaving Betty had been one of the most difficult decisions he had ever made, painful to the point of physical aching from his pounding head to his broken heart. She was his world, his everything, Betty Cooper was the one good thing that this other wise cruel world had given him, and god knows she would always be more than enough. 

He wanted to give her everything, she deserved everything. He wanted to take her to New York, they would navigate the city together and fall even more madly in love than they already were, after that a big White house with blue shutters in the country side where he could write his book and she could write the online articles she always dreamed of, a life, a family , a home, he wanted her to have everything she ever dreamed and so much more. Instead she got cramped kisses in a trailer they shared with his father, a full time job at a greasy diner with aching feet and a tiny bed to crawl into, still wearing the sheets he had had since he was ten. She was worth so much more than takeout burgers on the roof of their old highschool. 

So he ran, for her, for them. The Serpents would never let him go, not when he was so valuable, The Kings son forever tied to his kingdom, a bargaining tool, something to strike fear into opposing gangs hearts. It was Toni who had given him the idea, she was leaving, moving to Connecticut with Cheryl to continue the Blossom franchise, she was getting out

“Toss all your stuff, make it seem like a hit and run. Once they see all your shit is gone they’ll come after you, they’ll be looking for you... head south and don’t leave a paper trail, just you and your bike, it’s dangerous, people know who you are. You can’t tell anyone, If they find out Betty has even the slightest clue where you are they’ll make her tell.. the ways they go about doing that.... you just can’t tell her.” 

She was right, it was dangerous, borderline stupid but it was all he had, the only way to get out, the only way to have a chance at a future without leather jackets and Riverdale chains. 

So he ran....or rode rather. 

The first night was the hardest, images of Betty alone, tiny pastel yellow waitress uniform covered in streaks of black mascara and an empty trailer filling his mind. His father had moved out just last month to an apartment complex north of Pembrooke, his father would be ashamed he was certain, leaving.. leaving her.. just like his mother had done to him. She would be devestated, Betty would cry, her shoulders would shake and her palms would be covered in the coppery blood that littered the clean white towels in the bathroom laundry basket. He threw up that first night, dirty motel bathroom tiles harsh on his knees. 

“I’m doing this for you. I’m doing this for us.” He had cried into his balled up flannel until the neighbors slammed on the wall.

He was going to go back for her, take her away and never look back, the Serpents would be off his trail by then and they would finally be able to be free. Five months of agonizing waiting, a piece of his very soul missing from his body and a constant throb on the right side of his chest, and he was heading home, heading back to her. He was a little worse for wear, an angry group of Angels, a rival gang, had caught up with him just outside a bar in Toledo and had taken him in the back. It hurt like hell ,but pain? That much he was used too. 

He parked his bike somewhere in the middle of Greenwood and Pembrooke walking the rest of the way to 316 elm street, his dark blue hoodie covering his face and a slow in his step that matched the breaths he was taking. She would hate him, scream and yell, curse and cry but he would hold her on her lavender sheets and tell her how sorry he was, tell her what a fuck up he was and that they could finally go, they could finally be together without the constant presence of riverdale looming over their heads. 

So he knocked.

Except she didn’t scream and yell, she didn’t cry or curse, she didn’t flip her long blonde ponytail in his face and slam the door, she didn’t Even look up at him with watery green eyes, she didn’t do anything. 

She didn’t do anything because she wasn’t there, she wasn’t anywhere. 

Alice Cooper had answered the door, a bitter laugh escaping her pursed lips before she shook her head 

“My daughter is gone. She left me, left her life, a good life...for you and you left her for god knows what. She’s gone and lord knows where she is, you destroyed her and left me to pick up the pieces, I never got the chance. I don’t know where she is, good luck finding someone who doesn’t want to be found.” The scrubbed clean white door had slammed in his face. 

She was gone. Vanished almost as fast as he had. 

 

His father was waiting by the door of his apartment when he arrived, only a flicker of surprise on his face before he opened the door wider letting his broken and bruised son inside without a word. They didn’t speak for what felt like ages, an uncomfortable quiet filling the one bedroom apartment, There was a shoebox filled with letters on his kitchen table and a black and white sonogram hung on his refrigerator door, looking back Jughead should have known, he should have caught on but he didn’t.. he was too busy falling to pieces on the living room couch. 

“I had to go. I had to leave dad, you left me there to fulfill some unwritten legacy, they weren’t going to let me leave. They weren’t going to let US leave. Not ever.” The dark haired boys voice shook, the bags under his eyes almost as black as the chrome of his motorcycle. 

Fp stayed silent.

“And... betty.. I was trying to make it better for us, I had to make it better. she never said anything dad, She just sat there and took it, every time I said we couldn’t leave yet, just another month, another year...she just took it, I was breaking her dad... breaking her and now she’s gone.. I lost her.. I’ll never be able to find her again.. she’s gone and I lost her.” Open sobs raked through his chest, his throat aching with the release of his cry’s, it had been so long since he’d allowed himself to feel the hurt, to break down. 

Fp stayed silent still, moving from the couch to the kitchen and opening the shoe box to pull out a folded up letter filled with the familiar loops and swirls of the handwriting jughead could point out in a crowd. He looked up at his father, the letter crinkling under Jugheads grip..

“Is this....” 

The older man sighed  
“The address is on top. You’ll find it easy just follow the freeway as far as it can take you.” 

Jughead swallowed the lump in his throat, hisbeyes devouring the letter in front of him, fingers tracing her words. 

“IM OKAY, FOUND A PLACE TO GO. IM SAFE, WILL WRITE AGAIN SOON. - LOVE BETTY” 

She was safe. She was safe. She was safe. 

The words filtered through his brain like warm honey, she was safe and she was in Cape Cod, 24 firefly road Cape Cod. 

Cape Cod.

Jughead hadn’t asked his father to let him see the rest of the letters, he assumed they were personal, it didn’t matter he would see her soon, he was going to find her.. he was going home. 

That’s what brought him here, hands buried deep in the velvet sand and the sunset hitting his cheeks at just the right angle as he watched a very pregnant Betty Cooper Toss a baseball with a energetic 20 something year old covered in tattoos and a nickname resembling something close to a vampire. 

There was a shift to his right, long legs stretching out beside him and a grunt that had Jughead turning to face the floppy haired boy.

“I don’t hate you.” Were the first words that left Sweet Peas mouth. Jughead flinched back in surprise. 

“I...” Jughead started 

“I don’t hate you and I should..” sweetpea continued. “Cooper is probably the best person I have ever met in my entire life, it ain’t saying much cuz I ain’t been around too many great people but she’s great. I mean really great.” Sweetpea explained. 

“I know.” 

“yeah well, I know you know that because your sitting here next to me right now on a beach in your combat boots with a tattoo that looks pretty similar to what mine means and a real shittily healed broken nose all the while staring at that girl like you’re some kind of new born puppy that just got adopted by one of those make a wish kids.” The smile that tilted the taller boys lips wasn’t exactly friendly but it wasn’t malicious either. 

Jughead took a quick glance at the familiar set of angel wings tattooed on SweetPeas neck. “The Angels” were The Serpents rivals, born and bred into hatred.  
“It’s my past.” Jughead explained, his flannel shed showing off the swirled Serpent tattooed on his shoulder. 

“We’ve all got one.” Sweet pea answered “what matters is what we do with what’s coming up and what’s coming up is that baby, my godson.. and before you say anything I’m fully prepared to fight Andrews on this, last time he came to visit he had a damn PowerPoint prepared. Anyway, that baby and that girl... they mean something big to both me and Fangs and if you hurt either of them.. if you even try any slick shit...” the tick of his jaw and crack of his knuckles assured Jughead that it wouldnt go over well. 

“I love her.” Jughead answered simply his eyes meeting SweetPeas dark brown ones “I love her.” He repeated. Simple enough but something So deep and guttural in his voice that left no room for argument. 

“Well alright.” He smiled, a crooked kind of jagged grin crossing his features. 

The baseball rolled to a stop at Jugheads feet and before he knew it Sweetpea was scooping it up and calling Betty over.

“Yo Coop! You come and sit your ass down it’s too damn late for you to be throwing a damn ball it’s getting dark, put me in coach.” 

Betty laughed, her hands resting on her swollen stomach as she made her way over to Jughead, the dark haired boy eased her down beside him and draped his flannel over her shoulders.

“Wow, I cant believe we’ve been out here all day. Oh god! Veronica! She’s gonna kill me..” when Betty tried to stand Jughead placed his hands firmly on her shoulders.

“She’s probably sleeping, you know her, after an hour of traveling she needs another 24 to rest. Sit with me Okay? Just for a little longer? Stay.”

The beautiful blonde looked at him so softly he felt his stomach flip like the waves crashing on the sand just a few feet away. 

“Okay juggie... I’ll stay.”


	6. Chapter 6

It had always interested her, the way the waves seemed to crawl so gently to the shore almost as if they weren’t at all dangerous, as if they couldn’t drag you under and bury you within the pulse of the ocean in a moment. The sun seemed to set so beautifully and leisurely that it was almost possible to forget the way the rays toasted your skin, a cherry red burn vibrating through your entire body and setting you on fire. Some days, if the timing was right and the world was quiet it was easy to watch the muted blue sky let down threads of silver, lightning crashing against the lapping waves, it was easy to forget the damage a storm could cause. 

There are two sides to every story, two halves to a whole, nothing is simple and nothing is easy. Choices come with consequences, some damaging and some all consuming but the choice is yours, you can either let the world break you, shatter yourself and become something similar to the cracked seashells littering The Ocean floor. Or you can thrive, forgive and be better, make things better.. the choice is always yours and whatever road you choose to walk determines how you live. 

It’s scary and intimidating but it’s yours... the choice is always yours.

“Alright this is bullshit, can someone start talking because you all know how I feel about unfilled silence.” The low grumble of the tattooed boy broke the quiet hum of the otherwise silent picnic table. 

Sweetpea snorted, nudging Fangs pointedly before casting his gaze on Betty. 

She cleared her throat  
“I... umm.. I’m really happy that you guys came to visit.. I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something Ronnie.” 

The dark haired girls eyes slowly lifted from the fruit salad she had been shifting around on her plate, she was still angry, hurt more than anything. Veronica Lodge was fiercely protective over the things she loved, Betty just happened to be at the top of that list and for that the pregnant blonde was grateful, she loved having her best friend in her corner but it came with a price, Veronica would fight tooth and nail to make sure that she was safe, to make sure she didn’t put herself in situations that would result in her pain. 

Her perfectly manicured eyebrow was quirked, a curious type of frown on her lips.   
“Well What is it? Oh god.. please don’t tell me you picked Arthur for the boys name.. Betty I swear to god...” 

Betty giggled one hand reaching out to rest over her best friends hand and the other dropping to her tummy.   
“No... no after careful consideration I realized you were right, Arthur is an awful name.”

“Thank god.” Jughead mumbled from her right, Betty cast her eyes to the boy beside her quickly, he grinned and shoved the rest of his burger in his mouth. 

“Anyway.. what I meant to ask you Ronnie.. although I’m sure you already know....” her green eyes caught onto Veronica’s chocolate brown “will you be peanuts godmother?” 

Archie dropped the hotdog that was in his grasp, a gasp falling from his lips, leave it to the redheaded musician to remain completely oblivious to everything around him. Sweetpea rolled his eyes but the smile that graced his lips couldn’t be dimmed, Fangs chuckled and whispered   
“Good luck peanut.” 

Veronica didn’t say anything, her eyes wide and her lips shaking. For a moment, just a quick second, betty thought she might refuse, she slowly slid her hand from Veronica’s and placed it with her other on her stomach, Jughead covered both of her hands with his own, running soft circles on the backs of her hands, something he had done since they were children to ease her anxiety.

Then the world seemed to shift, the sun shone a little brighter and the waves got a little quieter. Veronica pulled out her cellphone, a grin wider than anything Betty had ever seen grace the young heiresses lips 

“Well, it is about time, do you my know how long I have I have been waiting for you to finally say the words?” She held her phone to her ear “hello? Yes Smithers? Please put a rush on all of my held items at “Baby Mine.” Thankyou.” She slammed her cellphone down on the table, lifting the glass of wine to her lips. “Of course the answer if yes B, I’m gonna love that baby more than anything in this world.” Archie cleared his throat and Veronica placed a hand to his cheek, rolling her eyes “not more than you Archiekins. I’m going to be a fabulous godmother..” She beamed brightly, before turning her gaze to the baby’s father currently smiling softly his arm wrapped protectively around the pregnant woman in question, Veronica’s eyes softened slightly.

“That is if it’s okay with Jughead. You were right Betty, he is the father and even though I’m still so angry at him, you need him, I can’t give you and the baby everything he can no matter how much I wish I could. So Jughead? Is it okay?” Her eyes burned into his, It was clear that she wasn’t going to take no for an answer not that he would say no, he would never say no to anything Betty wanted.

“Veronica..” he started “ You’ve been here for Betty, for the baby, you’ve been here in ways I could never even imagine. I can never thank you enough for the things you’ve done for her, she’s strong and she’s independent and I have no doubt that she would be able to do this on her own, but she didn’t have too, You we’re here when I wasn’t and I’m eternally grateful for that.. I really shouldn’t even have a say or an opinion in this but...yes... yes i am more than okay with you being this baby’s god mother.” 

Veronica’s shoulders eased and she reached out a hand to grab his   
“I’m still beyond angry with you, it’s gonna take me a while to not hate you but... I’m gonna be here for both of you, well all three of you.” Tears had gathered in the corners of her eyes and she quickly ripped her hand free to wipe at her cheeks.

It was Archie who broke the moment   
“Well since my girlfriend is going to be the god mother I guess that makes me godfather in law.. so.. I hereby give the rights to be the original godfather to Sweetpea. Take this gift with caution my leather wearing friend.” Archie squinted playfully Before turning his body back towards Betty and winking. Choosing who would be the baby’s god father had been stressful, she loved both of these boys, Archie seemed to have caught on. For a boy who acted a fool most of the time....Archie Andrews was pretty intuitive. 

“Sweet! I’m already working on making this totally kickass automatic motorcycle in the shop, it’s like life sized but shrunk down for tiny legs.” 

Jughead leaned forward curious but Betty quickly shoved him back down.  
“Not gonna happen.” She scolded 

Jughead slumped back   
“We haven’t even seen it yet.” He mumbled childishly, a glint to his eyes. 

They spent the next four hours talking, the sun set slowly leaving them laughing in the dark, only the moon glow gold provided the necessary light to see each other’s smiling faces. It was time to call it a night, Jughead promising to visit Swetpeas auto shop tommorow, with a baby on the way having a job was kind of important. Veronica and Archie retired to the guest room leaving only Jughead and Betty alone on the porch..again. 

It really was a gorgeous night, the sleepy sea was lazy with its slow moving tide, the air was rich with sea salt and the smell of barbecue and the porch swing was comfortable under the dreamy starlit summer sky.

Jughead had his eyes closed, his head resting against the back of the porch swing as Betty watched him, the familiar way his lips seemed to move even though he wasn’t speaking, the way the wind blew his crazy curls in every direction, a brand new scar engraved into his cheek. He was her home, so familiar and warm, the family she chose, and maybe he had hurt her, he would probably do it again, not on purpose, but just as life went on people get hurt

But he was her home and god was she happy to be home.


	7. Chapter 7

Where does the ocean end? 

It’s strange to think about, the glassy water of the salted surface seemed to go on forever, a never ending type of openness that led to things far beyond even the most creative humans imagination. How deep does the deepest end sink? What is beneath the mosiac of colors reflecting light farther past the shore than anyone dares to go? Is there another world hidden below the murky black waters that drag and pull? 

Some questions can never be answered, some questions are meant to be spoken into the void or carried in minds, quiet and ever curious. Betty Cooper knows that, she’s learned, So when Jughead hands her the dirty hunter green flannel to wash just three weeks after their friends have gone, she doesn’t question the way it’s typically mossy color has shifted into something resembling maroon, cracked copper blood staining nearly every inch of its soft texture. He doesn’t look at her, won’t look at her he simply passes off the flannel, folded perfectly, into her waiting hands, a grimace marring his features before he’s off through the front door, no doubt on his way to the ocean. 

He does that a lot now, stands by the ocean, walks the length of the barren beach with his boots crunching seashells and his beanie left on the kitchen table. 

She’s coming on seven months pregnant now and the morning sickness has yet to go away, she’s tired and nauseous nearly all the time but unlike the first few months she doesn’t have to go through it alone, not at all. Jughead is constantly by her side, his hands smell like motor oil as they rub her back and his eyes are desperately frantic every time she leans over the toilet and loses her lunch. Jughead has always hated when she’s sick, a sort of anxiety inducing memory trigger from years of his baby sister traveling in and out of hospital rooms. 

He carries her from room to room, reads her books on the floor beside her bed, his hand clutched in hers until she slowly falls asleep, he braids her hair after she showers and pays for the groceries when they go into town. He’s been amazing, supportive and downright terrified. She knows that’s why he goes to the ocean, she used to do the same thing when walking through the sand hadn’t become too painful and the sun didn’t make her head spin, it’s a stress release, a place to scream where no one can hear you, she would talk to the waves and stroke the velvet sand, she thinks maybe he does the same. 

Jughead works at SweetPeas autobody shop, he loves the job and the paycheck it provides, turns out all of the late nights in the junkyard elbow deep with Betty in some run down classic car have taught him more than he thought. He’s good at this, he likes this, for the first time in his life he’s doing something by his own choice, and it feels good, she can tell by the nervous smile on his face   
When he brings home baby toys and diapers and bottles mumbling something like 

“I don’t know if it’s right but the lady at the store said it’s the best and safest.” 

She’s falling in love with him all over again, different this time...they’re different now, things are different...but still... she’s so deeply in love with Jughead Jones it makes her heart hurt. 

And then she’ll look down at the bloody shirt wrapped up in her hands, or find a brand new scar or cigarette burn on his face, sometimes she’ll hear him cry himself to sleep from the guest room right beside hers and she’ll feel something so different...so foreign...she’ll feel... far away, and it hurts, it’s her very own kind of burn. She can’t trust him fully yet, she wants too, sure but she can’t, she knows that, it’s not just her she has to worry about now.

The laundry is folded, stains scrubbed loose, when she finally lowers herself onto the freshly painted white rocking chair Jughead had built with fangs last night. The boy in question is currently making his way up the beach, bare shoulders tan and glowing under the morning sun and his mess of black waves windswept and curly due to the salty mist that was constantly floating through the fresh cape cod air. He spots her instantly, eyes lighting up in the boyish way she absolutely adores

“Hey there sunshine.” Jughead calls out ,his pace speeding up until he’s reached the steps. The way he looks at her never ceases to amaze her, it’s almost as if he’s looking at her for the first time every time. 

Betty knows damn well she is most definitely not going to win any beauty contests today, her hair is piled up into a messy bun, loose curls falling onto her cheeks and her makeup free face is slightly pink underneath the heat of the morning sun. She’s wearing a plain white tank top that hardly fits, the bottom of her swollen belly poking out over the top of her cotton blue shorts, long legs crossed and tanned, like always she’s bare foot. 

“You look beautiful.” Jughead takes a seat in the swing beside her, his eyes trained on her own emerald ones. He means it, she knows he does and when he casually drops his hand to her stomach and rubs slow circles on the exposed skin Betty forgets all about the blood stained flannel and pink picked scar on his cheek. 

It’s then that she notices the way his pockets sag, something heavy weighing them down.

“Are you collecting acorns for winter.?” Betty nods her head towards his jeans and tries not to laugh when Jugheads tan cheeks turn redder than her own. 

“No, no it’s nothing really.. just something I’ve been working on.” He mumbles, hand falling to his pocket protectively, well now she’s curious.

“It’s a secret?” She questions, turning her body curiously to face his 

“No!” His words are fast and abrupt and Betty falls back a little, oh. 

“I’m sorry... it’s just.. I don’t want any secrets between us... I wouldn’t keep anything from you that I didn’t have too.. I want you to know that.. I’m not making that mistake again.” His rainstorm blue eyes are boring into hers so intensely that   
She reaches for his hand this time. 

“Okay jug, you can tell me when you’re ready. I’ll be right here....we’ll be right here.” It’s the truth, she’s not going anywhere and from the tears in the broken boys eyes she can tell that he isn’t going anywhere either.

It’s silent for a moment before Jugheads hand finds its natural place on Betty’s extended tummy, her own tiny one covering his. 

“I was thinking about names.” 

The beautiful blonde grinned, oh she couldn’t wait to hear this.

“Fire away.” 

Jughead cleared his throat   
“Okay well.. I’m thinking it’s going to be a girl.” 

With wide eyes Betty shook her head   
“Really? Because I think it’s going to be a boy” 

“Lord help us all of we have ourselves another jones boy.” Jughead shuddered as Betty smacked his arm “anyway, if it’s a girl.. like I think it will be.. what about.. Avia ? I know it’s kind of dumb but I think it means little angel, at least that’s what the book I got from the book store said ..” 

Betty pressed a slow lingering kiss to his cheek, his mouth snapping shut at the physical feel of her strawberry scented lips on his skin.   
“I love it.” She whispered softly into his ear, trying to ignore the way his body shivered. 

When she pulled away she couldn’t wipe the smile off of her face, so eerily similar to the dopey one the dark haired boy was now sporting.   
“But.. if it’s a boy?” Betty grinned. 

Jugheads smile dimmed slightly, he was nervous about this one she could tell.  
“You’ll probably hate this one but.. I like.. I mean..it’s a lot of memories.. a lot of bad.. a lot of good... I think.. what about... River?” He spit out the last word quickly and Betty had to listen carefully to hear.

“River?” She whispered.

“Sweet water River. It made us who we are today, it made us strong, it stole a lot from us but it also gave us so much. We had our first real date underneath the trees in September, I tried to make sandwiches but I forgot you were allergic to peanut butter, you almost died. you ended up finding strawberries in a bush right by the river, you smushed them up and put them in your sandwhich with the biggest smile I’d ever seen. i think I fell in love with you in that moment.” 

Betty giggled, the baby kicked excitedly clearly responding to its mother’s laughter. 

“I fell in love with you there too. I mean I’d loved you long before that but when you helped me dump that drug dealing pimps car in the river that night? I knew you were it for me, I loved you and I wasn’t giving you up.” 

Jughead smiled, tapping Betty’s tummy as a tiny foot followed the pattern. 

“So..river?” Jughead looked up at Betty through his lashes. 

With the waves crashing onto the shore just a few feet away and the smell of cherry pie baking in the oven inside Betty dropped a hand to her stomach. 

“River.”


	8. Chapter 8

She thinks she’s loved him forever. 

From scraped knees on playgrounds to scarred palms in ripped leather booths, she thinks maybe she’s always loved him. Maybe Jughead Jones was her Ocean, her never ending space to float, free of gravity, free of pressure, a beautiful chaos consisting of rippling waves and soothing tides. He’s a reflection of her sunshine, a vast open horizon filled with depth unknown to anyone but the person who chooses to swim deeper, to love deeper. 

She swims until the waves pull her under and turquoise turns to indigo. 

The Ocean takes on so much, it carries the weight of so many different things, there is so much life underneath the darkest parts. Jughead is her Ocean, he is the ocean, So when the rumble of his engine wakes her in the morning before the sun rises and the digital clock by her bed reads 1:57, she knows that her ocean is battling a heavy storm and she’s helpless to carry the burden. 

She doesn’t sleep after that, her stomach is in knots but this time she knows it’s not morning sickness, the twist of anxiety is something she knows well. It’s late and she’s tired and she’s so damn pregnant and hormonal that by the time she hears the click of the lock downstairs her feet are already halfway down the stairs and her tiny peach satin robe is only partially tied. He has his back to her, his back is to her and what she sees staring back at her makes her wish it was his blue eyes and crooked smile greeting her instead.

Red eyes on a twisted green snake, worn in leather and the familiar tilted words glaring knowingly at her as Jughead turns around

“Southside Serpents.” 

The keys fall from his hand with a silence shattering jingle, his feet stumbling back towards the door as his eyes widen almost comically.

“Betts...” he whispers, quickly shedding the jacket and flinging it on the couch to his right, taking a cautious step forward as Betty takes a blatant one back. 

“Don’t you dare.” She wills her voice to stay even, sharp, dangerous, but even she can hear the crack that slips through her lips. 

“It’s not what you think.. it’s not... it’s not what you think..” his voice is pleading, desperate as his eyes slide from her stomach to her face and his hands shake at his sides, there’s a new bruise on the right hand corner of his chin and the cut below his ear hadn't been there at dinner. 

Dinner. She had made a lasagna. like a family. Like a damn normal family. A light goes off somewhere and suddenly there are tears in her eyes.

“Your pockets... you.. you’ve been hiding... was it drugs Jughead? You’re dealing again? You... you’re...” 

Senior year, a locker filled with dime bags of cocaine, enough money to rent a limo for prom, shame in his eyes, desperation. 

“No! No, god no! Betty I wouldn’t... never again.. with the baby and with you!... it’s not like that..” he grabs her then, flinching at the way she tenses. “It’s not drugs Betty.. it’s not. I promise you.” 

Memories of Nineteen year old Jughead, beanie on his head and ponytail still headachingly tight on her skull  
“I promise you I’ll get out Baby, it won’t be like this forever. You’ll see, I’ll get us out.” 

“Promises.” Betty laughs bitterly as Jughead watches the way her hands spread out on her swollen tummy “how can you make promises to me while that jacket is laying on our couch? how can you promise me anything when you’re standing in front of me bleeding in the doorway like we’re sixteen again?” 

She knows when his brain is working, knows when he’s contemplating, it’s a face she knows well so when he grips her shaking hand with his own and pulls her outside she doesn’t fight it. The cold air feels good on her boiling skin and the smell of the salty air mixed with the light from the stars and the moon soothes her enough to allow Jughead to unlock the work shed and usher her inside. 

It’s dark and when he releases her hand Betty instantly feels uneasy.

“Jughead I don’t like this.. I don’t like...” 

And suddenly she’s silent, a single lightbulb clicks on with a stuttering buzz, but it’s not the bulb that catches her attention. 

The shed is filled with multicolored wind chimes, each one made of brilliantly colored sea glass strung together by fishing line. When the light hits the glass it reflects shadows and highlights the others, Blues and yellows, greens and reds. It’s stunning, the most beautiful thing she’s ever seen and when she touches the one closest by, the melody it sets free is enough to bring tears to her eyes. 

“I’ve been making them since the day I got here. I know how much you love them and the porch is empty, I wanted to surprise you when I was done. Turns out I’m actually pretty good with sea glass.. I’m.. im making a mobile for the baby’s room I just didn’t want to show you until I knew it was safe, I was going to have Fangs help me make sure everything was sturdy..baby proof...” Jughead removes a thick wool blanket from the center table.

It was perfect. A mix of seaglass and seashells dangling from thin tying rope, turquoise and dark blues, sandalwood. It was all tied to two criss crossed pieces of sturdy branch. Not only was it beautiful it smelt like the ocean. 

when jugheads hands bury into his pockets and pull out a heart shaped piece of thick blue sea glass betty can’t help the sob that escapes her lips. Instantly his eyes fill with concern as he races over towards her and presses the sea glass into her palm, clasping his calloused one over hers. 

“Please don’t cry. We don’t have to use the mobile, I know.. it’s.. it’s stupid, we can buy a nice one. I’ve been saving up and...” 

“It’s perfect.. it’s beautiful.” Betty cut him off, missy green eyes damp as she stared into his.

“I know you’re angry. You have every right to be. But I need you to know that I’m not with the Serpents, not in the way you think..” 

Finally she’s touching him, her hands gripping his so tightly she’s afraid her knuckles may break and he’s looking at her like her touch is enough to heal all of his pain.   
“Then tell me.” She begs “please tell me Juggie, because I can’t do this anymore. I need to know, we need to know”

His eyes flicker down to her stomach and his hands instantly go to cover the baby inside, almost as if by holding it he can protect it from whatever he’s about to say. 

“I’ve been meeting the Serpents Every other night over at a bar in Connecticut.” Betty tries to hold back the gasp that threatens to free itself from her throat but she knows that he can feel the tension oozing from her body “I’m meeting them so I can get out Betty.” It’s then that his eyes snap up to hers. “I have to get out in a legitimate way, it has to be real this time. It has to be the right way.” 

The pregnant blondes fingers brush the latest bruise on his chin, tears welling in her eyes   
“Nothing about this is right.” She whispers.

His hand captures hers and he holds it to his cheek, his eyes fluttering involuntarily.   
“I’m almost done Betts, it’s almost over. I can’t keep running, not when I have so much to stay for. I’m not going to be living every day in fear that they might find me, that they might find you. It’s almost over. It’s almost done.” 

A sob escapes her throat and before she knows it she’s thrown herself at Jughead, pressing as close as her extended belly will let her, arms wrapped around his neck as he buries his face in her neck.   
“I’m sorry baby. I’m so sorry.” He whispers into her skin. 

Betty pulls back, cupping Jugheads cheeks in her hands tightly.   
“You have nothing to apologize for Jughead Jones. Nothing. I love you. I love you so much.” 

It’s jugheads turn to cry now, a strangled noise falling from his lips before he’s burying himself in Betty’s skin again   
“I love you Betty Cooper. I love you.” 

It’s been so long since those words have been exchanged and the air seems to shift accordingly, a new kind of warmth filling the tiny shed as Betty pulls back again, this time her voice deeper and something in her eyes that Jughead knows all too well 

“Take me to bed juggie.” 

Swinging her up and into his arms with muscles Betty hasn’t seen Jughead growls 

“God yes.”


	9. Chapter 9

Words had always come easy to Jughead Jones, mindful sentences flowing through his pen like descriptive black ink, a trait, perhaps a gift, that settled within his bones, buried deep behind his brain. His hands were magic, whether It be through typing or scribbling on whatever loose leaf paper was left laying around the words made sense, they always did. 

He supposed his words were something similar to the waves during a hurricane, destructive yet so devestatingly beautiful that there was no option but to stare, To watch as they crashed against the shore tearing everything in their path apart. He was high tide, burying and washing away beautiful seashells and smooth velvet sand, pulling them further into the darkness that was the indigo colored ocean. There was solace in the waves of course, slow and steady at times, sparkling and resting underneath the honeycomb sun.

Betty Cooper was the sun, spread amongst a cloudless sky she offers strength, the ability to grow to even the most hopeless flowers. She kisses rainy skies and provides a warmth that feeds your very bones. 

Together they’re a summer storm, refreshing and clean. When the ground dries up and the air is stifling, summer rain falls on the shore and the sun keeps steady supported by the lighting that rips across the waves. 

Betty doesn’t need words, she never has, her kisses are soft and comforting in a way that words could never be. He wanted to speak, needed to tell her what this meant to him, to have her in his arms again, baby smooth skin under his very shaky palms, the sound of his heart was beating so loud he couldn’t concentrate. The feel of her silky robe pressing against the open front of his flannel, bare chest against cool satin was enough to drive him insane. 

Her bed was so far away, stairs hindering the process as she peppered kisses down his neck, honey hair tickling his nose while her hands wrapped around his neck tugging gently on his curly onyx locks. Kicking the door open he stumbled to the bed, moaning when she pulled her lips from his as he dropped her gingerly to the bed, quilt balling in her fists. With his flannel hanging off of one shoulder and his hair an absolute wreck from her skillful fingers he was fairly positive he looked more homeless than sexy, her soft giggled reaffirmed that. 

He dove onto the bed caging her in with arms, Betty tugged on the flannel pulling it off of his body and nipping on his shoulder. When her hands moved to his belt he made quick work of sliding the peach robe from her tanned arms, she was quicker however, tugging it back up and wrapping it tighter around her body. 

Jughead pushed away, confusion littering his features as the beautiful blonde shook her head, tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. 

“Oh Jug.” She whispered, looking away from his ocean eyes “I don’t look like I did when you last saw me. I’m huge.. I’m... I just think maybe... Juggie, it’s better for everyone if I just keep this on..” her arms wrapped protectively around herself hiding away from him. 

A small piece of his heart broke at the fact that she thought her size would ever matter to him, she was beautiful no matter what and the way she looked was only one part of her. 

He reached for her her then, cupping her chin with his long fingers and turning her face towards his  
“I love you, you are the most beautiful women I have ever seen and ever will see. I don’t care about what you weigh or how you look, your heart is beautiful and thats what matters to me and anyone else for that matter. The fact that you are the most visually stunning individual on this planet is just an added bonus, I would love you no matter how you looked. I will love you forever...” He whispered, wiping a stray tear from her cheek. Jugheads hands pulled the tie from her robe slowly watching as Betty stared down at his hands.

She really was so unbelievably beautiful, Jughead pressed his open palm against her rounded stomach, the lightest flutter dancing across his hand. 

“Our baby is in there, you are growing a little piece of both of us inside of you and that is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.” Her eyes snapped towards his as he dipped down to press his lips to her stomach

“You.” Kiss “are so” kiss “unbelievably” kiss “sexy.” Kiss. “I’m the luckiest man In the world” his kiss found hers and in an instant her arms were wrapped around his neck, pressing against him desperately.

“I’ve missed you.” She whimpered.

Jugheads jeans slid to the floor as her bare feet pushed them off skillfully. 

“God Betts, you have no idea. You have have no idea how much I missed you.” He shivered against her neck, white lace panties pressing against his stiff navy blue boxers. 

“Don’t leave me please.” Betty’s caramel smooth voice whispered low into his ear, vulnerable and tired as she slid the lace from her body and wiggles beneath him. 

He pulled back once more, his eyes finding her emerald ones even in the dark of the room, the only light was the moon from her open window, sea salt wind filling the air.

“Never.” He choked “I am never leaving you again. I promise you Betty. I love you so god damn much.” His mouth fell to hers again, hungrier this time. He needed her, he always would, no matter what she was his and he was hers.. and god he needed her.

She needed him too, she needed him to make her feel, to crash into her and pull her out of the storm, the cloudy skies turned to fog. 

The tiny room at the top of the stairs filled with love, lost time and new touches, finding each other again to the sound of crashing waves and guttural moans.


	10. Chapter 10

Summer is meant for growth, the way the sunshine helps the flowers push through even the darkest and thinnest cracks, desperate to experience all that the season has to offer. Summer is crystal oceans and bare feet, breezy sundresses and golden skin, stolen kisses under shady trees and lazy bumblebees making paths through the thick air. 

Betty has always loved Summer, the cold makes her heart hurt and rain storms are too loud. Summer is perfect, beaches and lemonade, Long walks through town in baggy t shirts and strappy sandles. The heat never bothered her, it warmed her bones and tanned her skin, the sun was her friend, her lifelong companion, she absolutely loved summer. 

Summer in Cape Cod at eight months pregnant in the middle of July where the coolest that the temperature had been this month was 94? 

Yeah not so much.

“Just hold still Betty! I can’t friggin do it if your moving around like that!” Sweet Pea snapped from his place directly behind her, his fingers tangled up in her blonde curls as he tried desperately to piece together some semblance of a braid. 

It was the last month of her pregnancy and she was so damn exhausted, Jughead was picking up extra shifts at the mechanics shop to make up for the fact that Betty couldn’t work at the Diner , the doctors wanted her off of her feet as much as possible, it was probably for the best, even lifting her arms at this point drained her. 

“Sorry Sweet Pea, I’m just so sweaty.” She cringed, her floral sundress hiked up and her golden shoulders glistening and bare under the sun shining down on the front porch. 

“Yeah well, you’re fat so..” he trailed off teasingly 

“Hey! I have a baby in my stomach, what’s your excuse?” She sent an elbow directly into his perfectly toned stomach. 

“Please, my body is flawless. You just wish Jones looked as good as I do.” He wiggled his brows, tugging on a strand of loose hair.

“Jughead looks plenty good thank you very much.” The pregnant blonde blushed rose petal pink, images of his sweaty body hovering over hers this morning, his face scrunched up in pleasure and his hair hanging loosely in his eyes filling her mind. 

“Speaking of Jughead... how are things going?” There was a different edge to her friends voice now, his clumsy fingers still working in her hair

“They’re going really well Pea, he’s been amazing. He knows that he missed a lot and he spends every day trying to make up for it... I think we’re doing... really well.” She bit her lip shyly, a find smile threatening to creep up on her lips 

“Well good, as much as I like the guy I would hate to have to break his neck.” He smirked. 

Betty giggled, reaching a hand behind her blindly and squeezing the tattooed boys wrist affectionately.

“And the book? How’s that coming, i still don’t see why I can’t read it already.. I already know that I’m the lovable best friend with a heart of gold.” 

Betty giggled, rolling her eyes playfully  
“It’s coming along actually.. I already have three publishers reaching out to me.. I’m still working on it.. I want it to be perfect.. I want it to be my whole story.. I’m just afraid that there are parts of me that I don’t quite know yet.” 

Sweet Pea tied off the makeshift braid with the tan elastic and slid into the spot beside Betty  
“You’ll figure it out Princess, you always do.” He swung an arm over her shoulder and leaned his head on hers when she rested it against his shoulder. It was quiet for a moment, a comfortable quiet, just the sound of the waves crashing on the shore and the ticking of the dragon flies flying overheard. 

“Thanks for my braid.” Betty whispered lazily 

“Gotta practice for when my god daughter gets here.” He teased

“You’re so sure it’s gonna be a girl?” Betty questioned 

Sweet Pea shrugged his shoulders  
“It’d be a crime for there not to be something as cute as a miniature Betty running around.” He answered simply. Betty wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed tight, he really was the very definition of a softie.

“How come I wasn’t invited to the party?” 

Betty and SweetPea both glanced in the direction of the familiar voice

Sweet Pea leapt up wrapping his arms around Jughead and squeezing him in a way too tight bear hug.  
“Don’t be jealous Jones, there’s a whole assload of love to go around, all you have to do is ask.” 

Jughead shook free, stumbling towards the porch  
“Thanks Sweet Pea.” He bent down to press a slow kiss to Betty’s lips “hi baby.” He whispered, bending down and dropping a firm hand to her swollen tummy “and hi baby.” He smelt like gasoline and freshly cut grass, she was going to blame hormones for the absolute primal attraction she felt towards the scent. 

“Alright you two. I’m out, catch you in the morning for breakfast? Fangs has taken up cooking and he’s been researching pregnant safe foods for the last week and a half, if I have to eat one more fishless fish taco I’m gonna drown myself in the ocean.” He waved before jogging off towards his own home just a few minutes away. 

“Fishless fish taco?” Jughead raised a brow, ever handsome smile crossing his face. 

“I don’t ask anymore, you’ll learn soon enough. How was work? , you look tired.” Her nimble fingers brushed his sweaty raven strands from his eyes, concern evident in the emerald. 

“Oh no. I’m fine, it’s just the heat is all, I was working on a tractor trailer that wouldn’t fit in the shop. I had to do most of the engine work outside and it was pretty hellfire out today. How about you? You feeling okay, your head doesn’t hurt anymore? I know you said this morning you were getting migraines.” He traced the defined line of her cheekbones with his thumb, wiping a bead of sweat that was threatening to spill from her cheek. 

Betty let her eyelids flutter softly  
“Do you remember summer of sophomore year, they shut down the community pool and everyone was afraid to go swimming in Sweet Water River because of the whole Jason situation?” 

Jughead chuckled  
“That was a hot summer, I thought you were going to die, all of the pouting you did.” 

Betty scrunched her nose and stuck her tongue out playfully  
“Your dad put a tarp in the back of his truck and filled it with water, it was like our own personal swimming pool.” 

Jugheads eyes softened  
“Redneck hot tub.” He chuckled 

“Yeah and when my mom came by she nearly had a heart attack, Fp picked her up and threatened to throw her in. That was a good day.” Betty rest her head on Jugheads shoulder for a moment pulling his hands to her stomach before turning her body towards his.

“I want this baby to have that kind of life. I want it to have the perfect amount of chaos, we’re gonna be good parents. Peanut is never going to have to worry about if it’s parents love each other. There isn’t going to be any closed doors or secrets, it’s all going to be right here, right by the ocean.” Her eyes were glistening with unshed tears as the baby in her belly kicked at its fathers palms.

Jughead nodded, voice thick and hoarse as he stood up before Betty  
“I’m going to give you everything I can, both of you. I’m going to work hard and we’re going to be a family, a good one. I want to be right here for the rest of my life.. with you.” Suddenly he was on one knee, dirty grease stained jeans in the sand and the scar under his left eye prominent under the mid afternoon sun.

“Jughead...” betty whispered

His hand dug into his pocket curling around something before holding it out to her with shaky hands. 

It was a ring, not like anything she’d ever seen before, twisted metal wrapping around a beautiful crystal clear tiny piece of sea glass clearly filed down to fit amongst the vined metal. It was stunning, clearly made by hand and desperately beautiful 

“It’s not a diamond I know and one day I’ll get you one, a big one with a shiny golden band but.. I want you to have this ring.. I want you to accept this ring because.... because Betty Cooper I want to spend the rest of my life with you.. I want... god... Betty Cooper, will you marry me?” 

There was no hesitation, no thinking, of course she would, how could she not. 

“Yes, God yes Jughead Jones, of course I’ll marry you.” She beamed, tears streaming from her cheeks as Jugheads smile gradually spread across his lips 

“Yeah?” He whispered

Betty lunged for him, belly slowing her down as she tumbled into the sand and into his arms 

“Yes yes yes a thousand times yes.” She whispered back, pepperinkisses all over his face as he slipped the ring onto her finger. 

“We’re getting married.” He grinned, squeezing her tighter towards him.

“We’re getting married.”


	11. Chapter 11

“I can’t find it! I can’t find it! BETTY I CANT FIND IT.” Jughead Jones slid wide eyed into the living room, tripping over his own feet as he flung couch cushions from the lounge chair and shoved the ottoman clear across the room. 

“Jug, it’s right by the front door.. right next to your keys and right next to the shoes you should probably have on your feet.” Betty smiled softly, slowly slipping the light yellow cardigan over her white sundress. Her hands fell to her tummy as she leaned against the kitchen door frame, wincing as a particularly painful contraction rippled through her entire body. Jughead practically flew to the front door, returning just a second later, boots untied, jacket half on and an oversized duffel bag hanging haphazardly over his shoulder. 

“Okay. Okay here we go. I’ve got you, it’s show time baby.” His smile was wide and excited but Betty could see the genuine fear and anxiety pouring from his rainstorm blue eyes as she took his hand and let him lead her to the truck. Sweet Pea and Fangs were waiting outside, both leaning against their motorcycles fidgety hands and wind blown hair.

“I called The hospital, they’re getting your room ready for you and they said to drive slow, any bumps in the road could have that baby slipping right out.” Fangs scrunched his nose in disgust but bounced excitedly nonetheless.

“I called Veronica and Archie, they’re on their way. Veronica said and I quote “tell my overachieving best friend that she better keep her legs closed until I get there.” Sweet Pea rolled his eyes mounting his bike “we’ll meet you there, try not to give birth in the truck, me and jughead are refinishing that next week.” He winked. 

Betty slid into the passenger seat, breathing deeply and attempting to clip her seat belt. 

“I think you can go without your seatbelt this one time.” Jughead offered, reaching over to grab her hand as he pulled out of he driveway. 

Betty turned to him  
“I’m about to have a baby Jughead. We’re about to have a baby.” She beamed for a moment before her face contorted and a hiss slipped from her lips “ouch.” She whispered. 

The dark haired boy gripped her fringes, squeezing tight   
“Do you remember when we were five years old and you asked Archie if he would be a daddy with you when you got older?” He was trying to distract her from the pain and it seemed to be working, her emerald eyes lit up.

“Yes! He said “ew no way.” And walked away.” Betty giggled 

Jughead nodded, a nostalgic smile on his lips   
“He was always an idiot,” he said fondly

“I was upset and then you said “I’ll be a daddy with you Betts as long as we can name the baby hamburger.””

Jughead chuckled  
“Ah Yes. Hamburger jones. An icon.” 

Betty smiled, her eyes squeezed shut   
“It’s funny how life works out isn’t it? I found you, you’d been right in front of me my whole life and I never even realized it.” 

Jughead turned to her then, pulling into the hospital parking lot   
“I knew we would end up here. I never for one second imagined my life without you. It’s always been you and me.” 

There were tears in her eyes when she pressed her fingers against his cheeks   
“Always.” 

Jughead smiled   
“Alright. Let’s go have a baby.” He grinned 

Betty beamed back   
“Let’s go have a baby.” 

And they did, a beautiful baby boy with a full head of raven curls and olive skin. He was gorgeous and the moment he opened his summer green eyes it was fairly clear that he would be his parents world. The delivery had been easy, quick and beautiful, Betty’s hand squeezing Jugheads painfully as there son came screaming into the world. The doctors said he was the most healthy baby they had ever seen, albeit a little chubby but that was okay, it just made him that much more adorable. Veronica had stormed through the doors of the delivery room clad in a hospital gown and six inch heels just in time to see the tiny head poke its way through, she held Betty’s other hand and cried alongside Jughead. 

Their son was so well behaved, the crying ceased almost instantly and he napped quite a bit, he latched on for milk and smiled up at his uncle Sweet Pea. The baby loved music, when archie brought his guitar into the hospital room the baby dozed off lazily in fangs arms, tiny head moving slowly. Veronica was obsessed with the baby boys skin, fingers gently stroking it whenever she got a chance.  
“I’m taking him to my dermatologist as an example.” She peppered kisses to his chubby cheeks and scrunched up nose. 

When everyone had left and it was just Jughead leaning against Betty’s hospital bed staring down at his newborn son and his tired wife, the world seemed to go quiet just for a minute.. just for a bit. 

“So river?” Jughead whispered.

Betty looked up at him, sleepy eyes so filled with love and a little apprehension 

“I don’t know.. it seemed right then but now.. looking at him.. I don’t know. What do you think he looks like?” She questioned 

Jughead glanced down at the baby, This was a big decision.. a huge one. 

“I guess.. I don’t know.. maybe.. maybe Ocean?”

The beautiful blonde closed her eyes for a moment and Jughead sighed, mentally smacking himself 

“You’re right, that’s stupid.. I don’t know...”

“Ocean Pendleton Jones. It fits.” Her eyes found his again as the baby cooed in her arms   
“You hear that Ocean, you’re a jones now. They’re a strong batch, you’ve got some pretty tough family.” 

Jughead smiled shakily, leaning down to press a kiss to the soft skin of Oceans forehead before moving to Betty’s lips.

“On both sides.” 

The new voice has both Jughead and Betty’s eyes snapping to the doorway. Sure enough, squished together just a few feet away...

Alice Cooper and Fp Jones.


End file.
